The 2001âÂÂ02 NCAA Division I men's basketball season began on November 9, 2001, progressed through the regular season and conference tournaments, and concluded with the 2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament Championship Game on April 1, 2002, at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Maryland Terrapins won their first NCAA national championship with a 64âÂÂ52 victory over the Indiana Hoosiers.
Season headlines
- The Atlantic Sun Conference competed under that name for the first time. Previously it had been known as the Trans America Athletic Conference.
- The preseason Associated Press All-American team was named on November 6, 2001. Jason Williams of Duke was the unanimous leading vote-getter (72 of 72 votes). The rest of the team included Kareem Rush of Missouri (47 votes), Tayshaun Prince of Kentucky (46), Casey Jacobsen of Stanford (45) and Frank Williams of Illinois (31).
- Jason Conley of Virginia Military Institute became the first freshman ever to win the season scoring title, averaging 29.3 points per game in 28 games.
- Senior John Linehan of Providence became the all-time Division I steals leader with 385 for his career, while fellow senior Desmond Cambridge of Alabama A&M coincidentally finishes his career with the second highest steals total of 377.
- On March 1, 2002, sophomore Ronald Blackshear of Marshall tied an NCAA record by making 11 consecutive three-point shots in a game against Akron, but also makes 14 total in the second-highest single game output in NCAA history.
- The National Invitation Tournament expanded from 32 to 40 teams.
- Two teams whose head coaches were people of color met in an NCAA tournament Final Four game for the first time, when Indiana, coached by Mike Davis, defeated Oklahoma, coached by Kelvin Sampson, 73âÂÂ64 in a national semifinal game on March 30, 2002.
Major rule changes
Beginning in 2001âÂÂ02, the following rules changes were implemented:
- Both direct and indirect technical fouls penalized by two shots and returned to point of interruption.
- Officials could check an official courtside monitor to determine if a try was a three- or two-point attempt, regardless of whether the try was successful.
Season outlook
Pre-season polls
The top 25 from the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Polls November 5, 2001.
Conference membership changes
These schools joined new conferences for the 2001âÂÂ02 season.
Regular season
Conferences
Conference winners and tournaments
Conference standings
Division I independents
Three schools played as Division I independents. In addition, Birmingham-Southern, IPFW, and Lipscomb played as an independents as they began their transitions from NCAA Division II and the NAIA, but they were not considered full NCAA Division I schools until the following season.
Informal championships
Penn finished with a 4âÂÂ0 record in head-to-head competition among the Philadelphia Big 5.
Statistical leaders
Source for additional stats categories
Post-season tournaments
NCAA tournament
National Invitation tournament
Semifinals & finals
Award winners
Consensus All-American teams
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Major player of the year awards
Major freshman of the year awards
Major coach of the year awards
Other major awards
Coaching changes
A number of teams changed coaches during the season and after it ended.
References